Story

With a groan Vash started to push himself upwards, but gave up about halfway and fell back onto the pile of leaves. He was sore, hurt all over, and wasn�t exactly sure how he had been knocked on his ass this time but since he was still alive he must have done something right.

�Okay, one more time.� He muttered, gritting his teeth and forced himself upright again, and stayed there for a minute before his body gave way again and he slumped onto his side. There was a mushroom growing about an inch in front of his nose with blue spots on it, oh, no, wait the spots were just in his vision, the mushroom was a normal mushroom growing in the cool, damp soil.

He jerked suddenly to his feet, still looking at the mushroom. The remains of what must have been a fantastic red coat sloughed off him in sections, completely destroyed. He didn�t notice, tilting his head back to look at the towering tree in front of him, whose leaves he�d been using as a mattress. Somewhere in the back of his mind he classified it as an oak. The mushroom, the oak, it shouldn�t be here on this barren planet- he whirled around like he was trapped, in all directions as far as he could tell there were more tree�s. No, not just tree, there were flowers and vines and thick emerald moss and a bird chirped somewhere and the air felt cool on his face and there was just no way there was no way that this could be real.

I�ve died. That�s all that happened then, I failed and I died, and now I�m here, in heaven? It could be heaven. It�s more than that, it�s,, it�s Eden- a flash caught his eye and the joy was killed as suddenly as it had risen. No, this wasn�t Eden, he though bitterly as he pulled it out of the leaves where it had manifested itself, not at all where he had left it in the middle of the damn desert... He wouldn�t need the gun in Eden.

With a deep breath he holstered it and started walking. There was only one sun, and the trees were large enough that it was very easy going for someone used to sinking in the sand up to his ankles with every step.

Three hours after he was still unsure as to whether or not he was in heaven or hell. He wasn�t even starting to doubt he was dead, but only because he was skeptical that dead men would be thirsty or hungry at this point. He had heard running water an hour ago, and pointed himself towards it but other than that he was even more lost than was strictly normal for him. The running water sounds had to be coming from somewhere, didn�t they? Unless he was in hell, doomed to wander around tired, sore, hungry and thirsty for all eternity. It didn�t make sense that his punishment would be so, so, green. He didn�t even see the creek until he slipped on the bank.

�Finally!!!� He cried, absolutely thrilled to have fallen headfirst into the icy cool pebbly bed. �AIEEEEE this is COLD!� He darted out, then turned and knelt so he could dunk his head and swallow gulp after gulp of the sweet tasting stuff. �I�m alive again!� He rocked back onto rear, starting at the water. It was insane, of course. That was probably it. He wasn�t dead, he had just finally snapped, bonkers and off the deep end, though it was probably a miracle that he had lasted as long as he had.

�It�s real, but how?� He said out loud.

�There a mountain in the north. The spring is fed by melting snow.� Said a calm, modulated voice from behind him.

�Huh? Where did you come from?� Vash turned, standing halfway in the shadows was a pale, slender figure.

�I was at the Stellar church, but when I woke up this morning it was all gone. I was at the edge of this forest and unless it�s vanished as well there�s a village about a day and a half away on the other side.� The figure walked forwards. �You�re actually the first person I�ve seen or heard since early this morning.�

�Oh. My names Vash.� He said, without thinking, then inwardly winced. Sure he had tossed the ragged remains of the coat, but he was still blond and he was still carrying that obscenely large price tag on his head.

�My name is Marron. I don�t suppose you�ve happened to see my brother?�

�I haven�t seen anyone besides you yet.� Vash answered honestly, thankful that apparently not everyone here knew he was wanted. �Umm, where am I?�

�This forest doesn�t have a name, though I believe the villagers call it the �Forest of the Birds.��

�Forest of the,,,, Birds.� Vash would have sat down hard at this point, except he was already sitting. �No, I mean, what is this place? Why is there only one sun? How can it be so green here? How can this be here?�

Marron gave him a very long look. Vash felt an inward jump at those eyes. They were as golden as honey, and he�d only seen one pair like them before. Not possible, he shook the idea from his head. Besides, he didn�t have any food in his hand, did he? Vash found himself checking, and to his relief Marron seemed to be food free.

�This is Spooner continent. There is only one sun because there is only one sun, and it�s green because of the vegetation. How long have you been out here?�

�I�m not sure. It�s harder to gauge time with only one of those.� Vash said, pointing upwards. �Not long though. Maybe about three, four hours.�

�Ah.� Marron said, thinking. That wasn�t long enough for someone to go mad from hunger or loneliness, so he must have been nuts before. Wonderful, he was in the forest with a nut case. Vash stood up, stretching.

�Spooner Continent? Oookaaay. I�ll believe it.� Vash said. �Maybe not Heaven, but better than hell, neh?�

Marron was looking at him oddly again, Vash automatically smiled in answer. �Is Vash the only name you have?� Marron said, wondering if he had wandered out of a relative�s care.

�It�s my real name.� Vash said, stretching it only a little after briefly toying with several different titles he could give himself.

�Well then Vash, would you like to come with me to the village? I�m sure we can find someone to help you there.� Marron offered, both out of politeness and a general concern for anyone who might encounter this possibly dangerous lunatic.. �I don�t have any food, but it is autumn there�s enough food in these woods to feed us for the trip.�

�Alright.� Vash looked at Marron again, this time deliberately skipping his eyes because it was just too unnerving. Not that the rest of his outfit was comforting, with that sort of flowing robe and golden trim Vash was reminded of a circus performer. Oh well, since he was probably going insane anyway it made sense that his guide would be something of that nature.

�Dammit stupid sonofa-� His langue got steadily more colorful the farther he was forced to lean farther of balance from the branch he was straddling. �Comere!! AIEE!�

He slipped off the branch and slammed down onto his head. A veritable rainbow of vulgarity exploded. �HOW CAN THERE BE ONLY ONE APPLE IN THIS WHOLE DAMN FOREST!!!�

He jumped to his feet again, and glared at the apple. It was brilliant red, like blood, a perfectly ripe example of an apple. It was swaying lightly from the force of his fall, but it was still up there and apparently stuck.

�Well it�s official, I�m in hell.� He said under his breath. Man was he hungry, he�d woken up hungry and as far as he could tell there wasn�t any other food to be found. Just this one, single apple in the middle of a forest. That was it. Nothing else. Well, the berries might have been edible but he wasn�t hungry enough to take a chance on it yet. He bunched himself together, cat-like, and prepared to make a crazed leap upwards that would probably have killed him if he hadn�t heard something in the distance.

�Hello?!� He yelled. Nothing except the birds, and that rustling of leaves he was still not used to. �Is anybody-� He stopped. He was lost, hungry, and unarmed. Not a good position to be in when meeting strangers. One hand automatically reached to his shoulder, a grab for something that wasn�t there. Damn. He cursed to himself. Keep forgetting, can�t take it with you. There it was again, a voice, somewhere far against the green a flash of white. An icy hand grabbed his stomach as his mind lept to the only person he knew that wore that much white. He looked desperately around for a weapon, and failed to find even a decent rock. Why he�d come back with only the clothes on his back (not even a single cig on him either, dammit), he didn�t know. Why he�d come back period was sketchy too, for that matter but however he�d pulled off a Lazarus he was willing to bet he couldn�t do it twice.

Which meant it was time to hide. The tree look promising enough, so he scrambled upwards, searching for a thick cluster of leaves. Not that he really had a chance, but maybe if he got a drop-

�-town was that way?� From his vantage point if he listened he could hear their voices, though it was muffled.

�It is. I thought I heard something.� The second voice was clearer.

�Oh. Tell me more about this place.� That voice, not possible but, then, what else was possible so far today? He shifted, hoping for a crimson splash of confirmation. It might very well be, but he�d better be sure before he crawled down.

�This world is divided between the normal human, the Parsoners, and the Sorcerer ruling class. A Sorcerer Hunters� job is to make sure that the Sorcerers don�t abuse their positions.�

�Sorcerers? What make them the rulers?�

�They can use magic.� Marron was being very patient, and his voice had no trace of irritation.

�Magic?� Vash realized that his questions we probably as annoying as hell to Marron, but as long as he was willing to reply,, �Like abracadabra watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat magic?�

�No, those are tricks and illusion. Magic is harnessing the life force and power of the world and channeling it.�

�Oh.� Vash said, not really understanding but fairly sure more explaining wouldn�t help. �You said there was food in this forest?� His stomach growled on cue.

�There should be. We�ve already past a few berry bushes, but it looks like that might be all. I haven�t seen any apples, this deep in the woods the birds get most of them.�

�Hence the name?�

�There are other reason for the name, but I suppose they are a factor.� Marron looked up, pausing under a particularly lush looking tree. �None in this one either.� Vash wander ahead slightly.

�Ooh! I see one! Wow, it�s really high up there!� Vash almost had to lean back to see it, halfway hidden in the leaves. He looked at the apple and his smile faded for a moment.

�Something the matter?�

�Nothing. Just reminded of a friend of mine.� Vash said, then forced his face back into a grin again. �He smoked, drank, cursed and was in perpetual need of a decent shave but I liked him anyway.�

A sort of gagging squawk could be heard, if you listened very closely. A single leaf fluttered downwards to land at Marrons feet. Marron glanced up, but saw nothing. �Dead?�

�Yes. Do you see a rock or a stick or a- Oh I got it.� Vash stopped, and peeled off his right glove after turning so Marron wouldn�t be able to see quite all of the scars. The leather and denim body suit he wore showed a few of them, but he didn�t really want explain himself to the younger man. Twisting the leather between his hands, he snapped it upward like a whip, knocking the apple out of the air. He pulled the glove back on, and picked it up.

�Clever.� Marron said.

�Do you want half?� Vash asked, tossing it upwards.

�As long it�s the half without the bite in it.�

�I didn�t take a bite-� Vash stopped and looked at the apple. A large chunk had been removed. Tilting his head back, he looked up, then looked back at Marron. Tossing the apple up again, a core fell down a fell seconds later. Vash didn�t catch it, just proceed to sweat-drop while it hit the ground.

Marron almost didn�t see it when Vash jumped upwards. There was a tremendous noise as Vash pulled himself up into the tree in a blurred motion, and another louder noise as whoever was up there yowled, then the final scream when the pair slammed to the ground on top of the apple core.

�Let go of me, you moron!�

�You owe me an apple!� Vash pinned the guy, twisting an arm before getting a handful of leaves in his face. Marron pulled a slip of paper out of his sleeve and stepped back.

�It was my apple I saw it first!� The other man snapped.

�Who are you to claim to own an apple?!� Vash punched blindly before the other man squirmed out from under him.

�The smoker who needs to shave, apparently! I can�t believe you�re so irreverent to the dead!� He twisted and got Vash in a headlock. �Though I shouldn�t be surprised you needle noggined idiot!!!�

�What the hell are you-� Vash stopped and went limp, forcing open his eyes. Ocean green met gun-metal blue, and the arm around his neck relaxed. �Wolf- Wolfwood?� He said finally.

�Were you expecting Zazie the beast?� Wolfwood said drily.

�But you, you DIED.�

�Apparently the condition wasn�t permanent. Don�t ask me why I got saved, I can�t think of a reason, but here I am.�

�That�s, that�s not possible.�

�Not happy to see me Tongari? Whine at God, I had nothing to do with it.� Wolfwood picked up the apple core and wiped it off before offering it to Vash.

�Geee, you�re every bit as,,, generous as I remember.� Vash said, looking at it. His eyes suddenly watered uncontrollably. Wolfwood saw it coming, but didn�t quite manage to scramble out of the way. �It�s you, it�s really you your alive!!� Vash sobbed.

�Geeoffame!!� Wolfwood yelled. �Let go of me! Are you trying to kill me again?!?�

Vash let go and sat back, but he still had two steady streams flowing down either cheek.

Wolfwood glared at him. �If you don�t stop crying I�ll kill myself, I swear. I don�t know why I come back but it damn well wasn�t to watch you cry!� Vash bit his lip and nodded, but he didn�t stop crying, probably couldn�t. Wolfwood sighed. �I�m glad to see you too, okay? Now can you stop crying and tell me what the hell is going on here, please?�

An hour later�

�It figures.� Wolfwood said, eating another berry. Once he�d been told they were harmless, he�d proceed to strip several bushed clean.

�That all you have to say? It figures?� Vash asked, confused. He�d introduced Marron, then explained what had happened so far that day; It didn�t seem fair to tell him the rest yet, with his recent resurrection and all. And �it figures� was his friend�s only comment?

�Yep. It figures. You managed to screw things up again. By all rights I should be sitting on a cloud somewhere, but now I�m here and I�ll probably end up saving your ass. Not like it�d be the first time.�

�How is this my fault?� Vash said, sputtering around the blackberries he had almost had to fight to get.

�It�s always your fault!�

Marron was forced to abandon his �roaming crazy� theory. The way these two fought meant they had probably met before, that type of camaraderie was impossible to fake. Even though they made occasionally references to thing Marron didn�t understand, they understood each other. They were visitors from somewhere then, he could figure out the where later. First, he need to try to find his team, see if Big Mama knew what was going on, and she�d undoubtedly want to meet these two. But for her to meet them, they had to be in one piece. �We need to get moving. These woods are not safe. We need to get as far a possible by nightfall.� I don�t know who you people are, but this is getting out of control, he though, standing.

�Lead on then.� Wolfwood said, with a shrug. �I�d just get lost and starve anyway.�

�Maybe we�ll find some answers in the next town.� Vash said hopefully.

�Screw answers. I want my cross punisher back. What happened to that thing?�

�I, uh, kinda left it in the middle of the desert.�

�You did what?� Wolfwoods voice got very soft. A tiny blood vessel in his head began to swell up while his eyes narrowed.

�You were dead.� Marron said, making them both jump. �I�m not sure what your talking about, but it doesn�t seem like he was expecting you to want it back.�

Wolfwood forced himself to take a deep breath. �Fine. But I want a weapon.�

�Well see about getting you one in the next town, all right?� Marron soothed. �They had a fairly decent sword-smith, if I remember.�

�A what-smith? A sword? You want me to fight with a sword? You�re kidding, right?� Wolfwood laughed, then halted. �Right? Your kidding- Vash, please tell me this guys kidding!�

�I don�t know. I really don�t.�

�A sword? I�m gonna have to fight with a sword? It�s starting all over again!! You�re here and things are getting worse.�

�I didn�t make you come back from the dead.� Vash starting licking the oozing berry juice from off his gloves. �Though if I could have I would have."

Wolfwood stuck his hands in his pockets and glared at Vash. Vash wasn�t paying attention though, so he glared at the canopy of the trees instead. As if this whole thing wasn�t annoying enough as it was, he was starting to have some serious, deep down gut wrenching craving for nicotine that were threatening to drive him nuts. A sword. Wonderful, a sword. A pointy, sharp metal stick to wave around that was about as useless as you could get for a weapon. Knives weren�t weapons (except as a last resort) knives were tools, utilities. Gahhhh�.

�How long was he dead?� Marron asked Vash, picking a nut out of its shell. There had only been about two berries left on the bush when the other two were done, so he�d neglected to tell them what the hazelnut bushes looked like.

�It�s been about six months.�

�Do you remember any of it?� Marron said curiously.

Well, that was a rather nosy question from Wolfwoods point of view. Marron, with his golden eyes sure asked a lot of questions. �I remember dying. I remember this rush, like wind, and being pulled from my body, then, then, there�s just a blank. Just a flat, white expanse of nothing, except there was something. Like when you get really sloshed and you can�t remember what in Gods name happened, but your pretty sure something did?� He pulled his hands out of his pockets and put them back, thinking. �There was something.� He said finally.

Marron nodded. �Not reincarnate then, if you remember something between. Did you just wake up, or did you feel anything before the whiteness ended?�

�Like what?�

�Well, there are different ways to raise the dead with magic. Most of those are black and forbidden though. If someone is randomly bringing people back we�ll have to stop them.�

�Whatddya mean �we�?� Wolfwood asked. �Why would you stop them?�

�Is this part of the Sorcerer vs. Parsoner thing you were talking about earlier?� Vash added.

�Yes, it is, and considering the amount of slaughter that usually accompanies a spell of that magnitude, it cost isn�t worth it. The �we� I�m referring to is the sorcerer hunters.�

�Sl-slaugter?� Vash asked. Marron ignored him and continued.

�But to put that much energy, time, and risk into something and then just leave the end results to wander around aimlessly in the woods- do you remember anything other than what you�d told me?�

�No. I remember crashing through a tree and landing on my head.�

�Not a spell then. Damn.�

�You were hoping that it was a spell?�

�I understand spells. If it was a spell, it�d just be a matter of stopping the sorcerer and destroying the item their using. If it�s not a known magic, then it�s new and even more dangerous.�

�Or maybe it just wasn�t his time.� Vash said.

�How about this; it was a celestial oops and someone fixed. I like that one.� Wolfwood suggested.

�A �one last shot at redemption� type of thing?� Marron thought about it. �Well, if someone�s controlling you with magic, I�d sense it so you�re under your own will power, which is the important thing. If you want to use it for redemption that�s your choice.�

�That wasn�t what I said.� Wolfwood muttered under his breath. He reached into his jacket for a cigarette, then remembered he didn�t have any. �Son of a- well who or whatever brought me back sure did a half assed job.� Pulling the dingy looking jacket off, he slipped his finger though the holes through the pockets. There were holes everywhere actually.

�They�re on your shirt too.� Vash said, poking one on his back.

�Hey!! Some of these aren�t even bullet holes!! This one a cut!� Wolfwood cried indignantly. �I got this patched up a long time ago.�

�Actually, your clothes didn�t look so ratty when we found you.� Vash said. �They didn�t look so dirty either.�

�They�re reverting.� Marron said suddenly, mentally holding back a smile. �Whatever brought you back must have expected you to get new clothes by now.�

�You mean they�re just going to rot?�

�Well, six months is a long time for a suit to just lie around, especially if the owner is decomposing in them.�

�At least they�re not bloody.� Wolfwood said, pulling the jacket back on. �I don�t mind rags, but I don�t want to wander in bloody rags.�

�We�ll get you a new outfit as soon as we can.� Vash said, slightly disturbed by the bullet holes.

�You better be paying for it. I don�t even have my lucky matches, let alone any cash. I really liked those matches too.�

�Um, the ones in your breast pocket?� Vash stopped. Wolfwood turned and looked at him.

�Yeah, I only had one box.�

Vash ruffled his hair slightly, the gunslingers normally crisp hair had been reduced to a mop like mass by the scrabble. �Well, you were dead, I knew I wasn�t going to carry around that heavy cross for the rest of my life, and I did want something to remember you by-� He trailed off, holding out the battered little box and looking guilty

�I can�t believe you picked my pocket Tongari.� Wolfwood took it back. �That�s really disturbing. You picked a dead guys pocket.� He tucked it into his jacket.

�Well, you got it back, right?�

�Buy me new clothes, we�ll call it even. Deal?�

�I don�t have very much money either.� Vash confessed. �I�ve got, forty double dollars, tops.�

�Forty whats?� Marron asked, �I don�t think your moneys going to be any good here.�

Vash rummaged around for a moment and produced a double dollar. Marron looked at it and raised his eyebrow slightly while shaking his head.

�But that�s all the money I have.� Vash semi-whined, taking it back and making it disappear (Wolfwood was watching, but even his sharp eyes couldn�t catch where the pockets on that thing were).

�I�ll take care of it.� Marron said.

�Why are you being so helpful?� Wolfwood asked, more sharply than he�d intended. Marron didn�t seem to hear the tone, but it caught Vashs� attention.

�Because you obviously need it at the moment. Also, as I said earlier, something had to have brought you back and it�s part of my job to find out what that something is.� And with that, the conversation was over.

The sun was dipping lower in the sky by now, it evening. It was starting to get cold too, Vash noticed, crossing his arms. The desert got cold, but not like this. The air felt damp on his face, it was strange. Marron kept glancing around nervously, scanning the tree�s.

�Why did you say these woods weren�t safe? I haven�t seen anything more dangerous than him-� Wolfwood jerked his head at Vash- �Yet. Of course, that�s not really saying much.� Vash pretended not to hear.

�Just because you haven�t seen them doesn�t mean they aren�t there.� Marron replied, eyes still roving. �Can�t you hear the birds?�

�They stopped about an hour ago.� Vash said. �When the sun was still a little ways above the trees.� The sky was exploding into gold at the moment, fiery reds and thunderous purples were steadily engulfing the sky.

�They stopped early for a reason.� Marron said. The last time he had been in these woods he hadn�t had to worry about defending anyone who couldn�t defend themselves. If he was lucky, those two might have some fighting skill but- he stopped and looked at Vash, who was laughing maniacally at something-, he doubted it. �This forest in famous for it�s birds. Through the seasons literally every species come though here at some time, mostly as they migrate to new feeding grounds. Naturally, this much prey brings out predators.�

�Like what?�

�Night hawks.�

�And they are?�

�If we meet one you�ll know.� Marron said grimly. �If we don�t, count your blessings. There remnants.� He paused, saw the blank look on his companions� faces, and continued without prompting. �Fragments of a spell that went wrong, not living pieces of a greater construct. Their weak and passive during the day, but at night they get,, territorial.� The sun was all but gone.

�Tongari, you still have a spare knife on you, right?� Wolfwood asked.

�Yeah, but why should I give it to you? You broke that last one.� Vash said, but before Wolfwood could fire off a response he handed him the blade. �Try to keep this one intact, okay?�

�That�s like asking you to mind your own business, you know that?� He grinned and tucked it away.

�Which is close related to getting you to quit smoking.�

�God I need a cigarette. Did you have to say that? I was almost not thinking about it! Dammit.� Wolfwood groaned. �Please Lord let me find a smoke in the next town��

�It is bad for you.� Vash said. This was not what Wolfwood wanted to hear.

�Who the hell asked you?!� Wolfwood snarled.

�May I interrupt?� Marron didn�t look at them, he was still scanning the trees and the sky. �I realize that this whole ordeal is rather trying, but the more you yell the greater the chances of our being attacked.�

Both Vash and Wolfwood nodded quietly.

�And I have a question�. What�s a cigarette?�

This would have undoubtedly thrown Wolfwood off, except he was suddenly decked by a dark sparkling streak. Well, deck wasn�t the right word. More like, he didn�t have time to answer because he was hurling himself out of the way as fast as possible.

�Night hawk!� Vash yelp rather unnecessarily as more came streaming through the trees. The birds made a screeching noise like metal being dragged against metal, and whirled to come back. He saw, out of the corner of his eyes, Marron reaching into his sleeve and Wolfwood getting the knife back out- �Hey! Don�t-�

�You idiot! How can you possibly be worried about that at a time like this!!� Wolfwood almost tripped over a root while yelling at Vash.

�What the matter with him?� Marron asked, raising his voice to be heard over the din.

�He has a �no kill� policy.� Wolfwood snapped.

�For once, that wasn�t what I was going to say!!� Vash said, affronted. �I remembered! Their not alive, but I only have six bullets! I was going to ask you to not ruin the knife.� He ducked, reflexively swatting one of the streaks out of the air with a stick.

�Don�t you have that-� Wolfwood started, then saw Vash was looking at Marron out of the corner of his eye. Cutting his words short, Wolfwood nodded in agreement resumed his hacking up of the birds.

They did well, really, Marron had to admit that while they seemed rather unorthodox, they were at least capable of protecting themselves. Witch was actually about all he could say for himself. He didn�t have time to figure it out now, but when he had tried to cast a simple wind spell to blast the birds away, nothing had happened. He still had the crisp slip of paper in his hand, but had resorted to Wolfwoods method of stabbing and slashing them out of the air with a utility knife.

At least Wolfwood had a method, Marron though dryly. He wasn�t sure what Vash was trying to do, but he was accomplishing some fantastical aerobatics in the process of doing it.

�How many of these things are there!?� Wolfwood yelled, pausing to shake the knot of wires and feathers off the tip of his blade.

�When the original spell shattered, who knows how many pieces it broke into.� Marron replied. �We need to get away from them.�

�How far is the village again?� Vash asked, bending backwards.

�To far.�

The birds were getting thicker, for a moment all you could see was the dizzying whirls of blue black light and sparkles, and then they were gone. All that was left were the mangle remains, with occasionally twitched and gave off plumes of brightly colored smoke.

�What happened?� Wolfwood asked, kicking one of the piles and stepping back when it made a noise between a snort and a yawn.

�They either got bored, or something bigger�s coming.� Marron said. It was very dark now, with the light from the birds gone.

�Well, if it was just me, I�d say they were bored but since you�re here-� Wolfwood glared at Vash. �I�m assuming that this is the part where we run.�

�You know, it�s not like I try to make everything get worse.� Vash said, pouting. �It just happens. I don�t like it either.�

�We can�t run in this light, but we should still keep moving.� Marron was moving again, even in the darkness his robe was stark against the trees. �It�s still to far too-� he stopped.

�What? Are there more birds?� Vash twisted his head around.

�No, I think I see, lights. But the village is still on the other side of the woods.�

�Well, maybe it moved. Or it�s a group of campers.� Vash suggested cheerfully, going towards it.

�Or it�s a dangerous monster with glowing eyes. Tongari, we just got attacked by magical creatures,, are you in that big of a hurry to find more?� Wolfwood sounded exasperated. Now that the fighting was over his craving were starting again.

�Oh, come on. We�ll just take a quick look.� Vash said.

�Good Lord, why the hell am I following him?� Wolfwood muttered, shaking his head. �There�s got to be something wrong with me.� He continued to grumble as they came nearer to the lights.

It was a village, though if it was the right village was yet to be announced. It was small, but the building were made of sturdy stone and everything seemed to be in good condition. There were torches lit from brackets on the columns, but there was only one house with lights on.

�Well, here goes nothing.� Wolfwood muttered, knocking. �Hello! Hungry tired travelers!�

�Real subtle.� Vash said. �What sort of a response do you expect with-� The door opened, and his eyes began to sparkle madly. Wolfwoods jaw almost dropped, but Vash simple started to babble. �Hello, nice night isn�t it?�

�Nicholas D. Wolfwood, at your service!� He introduced himself to the young woman, halfway shoving his only partially coherent friend out of that way. �We got lost in the woods, and was hoping a kind, gentle soul would give us shelter for the night.�

Chocolate looked back and forth, from the oddly dressed blond who had gotten ahold of her hand to Wolfwood, who was making a valiant effort get his foot in the door without seeming rude. Their enthusiasm was understandable, because for some reason she hadn�t been able to find he regular outfit and was stuck in her work clothes. As in, a pair of black suspenders protected her well-formed upped torso, and that was it. Vash was also starting to get a nosebleed, but that�s beside the point. Looking beyond them, she finally saw a familiar face. �Marron!! Do these belong to you?!�

Both Vash and Wolfwood stopped in mid sentence as Marron walked up. �Yes. They have a very interesting story. Have you seen my brother?�

�No, I haven�t seen Darling or anybody I knew until you showed up. The others haven�t seen anyone else either. Are you all right?�

�The others?�

�I found them in the woods before I found this place.� She said, gesturing them in. �It�s deserted, everything�s clean, put away, but the only person here is- well, I�ll show you him tomorrow. We finally decided to just sort of camp out in here.�

�Who did you meet?�

�You need to meet these people. I guarantee there the weirdest people you�ll ever meet.�

�Double dollar says your wrong.� Marron muttered, glancing at Wolfwood.

�What?�

�I said, want to bet?�

�Hello!� Standing in the kitchen door was a fairly tall longhaired blond man talking in between bites. �Did you want any of the turkey? Cause it�s gone now.�

Chocolate blinked. �But,, there were three of them!!�

�Yeah, I told you to get some quicker.� He said, finishing it off. The bone was picked clean, and he tossed it into the fireplace before licking his fingers. �Who are you?�

Taking the lead, Marron pointed. �Vash, Wolfwood, and I�m Marron.�

�My names Gourry. This is Chocolate, and that�s Zelgadis.� Zelgadis was presumably still in the kitchen trying to get his fair share of food before Gourry came back for fifty-sixths.

After a few minutes, it was decided (mostly because Vash and Gourry looked ready to brawl over the lasagna) that any talking and comparing of notes would happen after dinner, and any action would take place tomorrow.

Tome One; Getting Started.